The old Oscar Mayer plant in Madison, Wisconsin, is turning into a nuclear fusion research and development facility. Realta Fusion is setting up its headquarters and a research facility at the site, now called OM Station.

The state and city are backing the project with up to $55 million. Realta expects to create over 600 jobs there, including both technical and non-technical roles. Before picking Madison, the company looked at sites in Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Tennessee.

Building a Facility for Fusion

The Realta Forge at OM Station in Madison, WI; Photo: Realta Fusion

Realta plans to break ground on a dedicated research space called “The Realta Forge” before the end of the year. This is where they will build their prototype magnetic mirror fusion machine, which they call Hammir.

“We spent the better part of the past two years searching across the country to find the most favorable business environment and the most attractive site to build our R&D facility, and we found it in our own backyard,” said Realta CEO Kieran Furlong. “The state of Wisconsin and the city of Madison have made it clear they understand the promise of fusion energy and share our vision for the future, and now they’ve thrown their lot in together to make that vision a reality.”

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The Financial Push

To help fund the move, Wisconsin provided an estimated $37.5 million in tax exemptions. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation added up to $15 million in performance-based tax credits. On top of that, Madison provided $2.8 million in tax increment financing specifically for job creation.

“In terms of cash today, avoided costs tomorrow, and accelerating progress, this is the most impactful state-supported fusion deal ever done in the United States,” said Dominick Bindl, Realta’s VP of Technical Development. “Wisconsin has taken unprecedented steps toward becoming the most credible regional hub for fusion activity in the country.”

This is the first time in 10 years Madison has offered this type of financing to a private company for job creation. A recent state law also exempted fusion energy projects from state sales tax on capital expenses.

“Madison does not take the decision to provide tax increment financing lightly, but this was the right kind of project for the city to support,” said Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “This is an opportunity to bring hundreds of high-paying jobs in the sustainable energy sector to our community and revitalize a largely vacant property that means so much to Madisonians.”